SINGAPORE: Energy is the most critical resource in Singapore, given high oil prices and the country's lack of alternative resources, said the Inter-Ministerial Committee on Sustainable Development.

The committee, which was set up in February this year, said on Monday that if Singapore expends the same effort on energy efficiency as it did for water management, the country will enjoy benefits in the long run.

That is why it is calling on members of the public to suggest ways on how to make Singapore a more eco-friendly city.

Professional show host, Samson Zee, makes it a point to save energy in every little way, such as adjusting the air-conditioner temperature from 18 degrees Celsius to 25 degrees Celsius.

He said: "You have to be responsible and also be conscious about the (amount of) energy that you're using. Start looking into changing the bulbs at home to compact fluorescent light, instead of the incandescent light.

"The next thing is to look out for equipment or home appliances that have energy-saving consumption system."

Aside from managing resources like energy and water, Singapore is also looking into pollution control and improving the physical environment so that the country can grow economically, while building a sustainable environment.

National Development Minister Mah Bow Tan said: "Although our contribution to the global carbon emission reduction will be small because we are a small country, I think if we can demonstrate that a highly urbanised city can still have good growth and a good quality of life using the approaches and measures that we have taken, the demonstration effect on other cities around the world will be quite significant."

Mr Mah co-chairs the Inter-Ministerial Committee with Minister for Environment and Water Resources, Dr Yaacob Ibrahim.

The committee has suggested broad solutions such as making existing buildings more energy efficient and developing new technologies to optimise resources.

But it has declined to state concrete plans, saying it wants to get public feedback first through its website.

Finance Minister Tharman Shanmugaratnam, who also sits on the Inter-Ministerial Committee on Sustainable Development, said: "One of the things that we're very mindful of is that each of the initiatives that we can think of comes with costs as well as benefits.

"We'll be quite pragmatic in the way we go about this – avoid extremes. 'Extremes' meaning, either going green regardless of costs, or on the other hand, not doing anything simply because there are costs. So I think we have to find a pragmatic middle ground in this whole initiative."

The committee has emphasised that it may take about ten years for any initiative to produce results, so it intends to collate as much public feedback and solutions as possible by next February's Budget debate in Parliament.


- CNA/ls/so